Time After Time
by xKitti
Summary: AU in which Kakyoin lives and attempts to rekindle his relationship with Jotaro despite the fact he has seemingly moved on. Eventual happy endings, smut family times.
1. Chapter 1

Bright.

That was the first thing I remembered upon regaining consciousness. It was quiet. Peaceful, even. It gave off a feeling similar to that of sunbathing. Except everything was a white blur, and I wasn't necessarily warm. But before I could really place where I was, things suddenly got a whole lot louder. Various tall shapes came into my vision, speaking strange words I didn't understand. I reached my arm up, attempting to keep the prying hands and loud words from making their way into my safe, blurry little bubble. But, for some reason, my arm remained at my side in the bed, numb and unmoving. Fear found itself prickling in my chest as I tried to scream out for help, but all that came out was a shrill squawk. Simultaneously a cool sensation made it's way up my arm as my eyelids began feeling heavy, the darkness pulling me down into it's world before I could even begin to protest.

When I opened my eyes for the second time, the world around me was a lot less chaotic. What used to be a bunch of watercolor outlines, blurred together into a mosaic of strange blobs was instead a lot clearer. Each specific object around me separated from one another and I could finally make out more distinct shapes. The walls were still a very bland white, furnished with a picture or two. There were two green chairs to my immediate right along with a wooden end table. A small vase sat on top with some gorgeous, fresh-looking flowers inside.

Was someone bringing me flowers?

But before I could entertain such an idea, a short figure made it's way into my line of vision. I blinked a few times, trying to manage a better view of whoever or whatever was vying for my attention. Their voice was very soft, as if not to frighten me. The quiet myriad of words spiraled on their way to my brain and I really only got two key phrases:

"Kakyoin Noriaki"

and

"Feeling".

The first two words I recognized as my own name, I wasn't 100% but it was familiar enough to question. Now wanting to seem rude, I attempted to answer the person's inquiry, but only a pile of offbeat, cotton-mouthed syllables came out. Again, I tried to speak but was quickly hushed, feeling the slight sensation of pressure on my palm.

"Squeeze my hand."

This I actually grasped and proceeded to focus on the task at hand, literally. With what decent vision I had, I see now that the person before me is a man of short stature, bald, perhaps with facial hair of some kind, or a mask over his mouth. I assume he must be a doctor of some kind, as his white coat suggested. Despite the heaviness and pain that come when I stretch those sore muscles, I give it my best shot. After a few seconds, I feel the warmth leave and instead am spoken to once again.

"Very good. We didn't think you would ever wake up at this point, this is very good news."

His words are much clearer this time, and I can understand and filter what is being said. But now, it was my turn to speak.

"...H-How...H...How," I sputter helplessly, my tongue and lips refusing to cooperate. The more I articulate gibberish, the more I see the man before me begin to spin. Sharp pains pierce my temples as I let out a light moan, arms rising slowly to clutch at my throbbing head. But unfortunately they don't make it there before the doctor grabs both of the appendages, forcing them down at my side as he calls out a word I don't recall. Not long after, silhouettes begin to flood into the white room, instead painting my failing vision a mix of dark blue. A familiar warmth travels up my arm and I'm invited to take a dip into the soft embrace of darkness.

My consciousness fades in and out as I'm poked and prodded. What really stirs me back is the intrusion of white hot light forcing it's way into my bubble of dark and leaving a blot of green that felt as if it had been engraved into my eye itself. Among the strings of words I hear mushing together and echoing my ears, I pick out another phrase that brings a strange, calming sensation to my chest.

"Call his parents."

My parents.

Parents.

Waterfalls of memories fall directly before the darkness. My mind replays the short clips of smiling faces, my heart swelling with each frame.

' _My parents... They must be so worried about me_ ,' I think to myself. But before any tongue tied words can escape my chapped lips, the darkness has once again deepening it's hold, pulling me so deep this time I fall into another peaceful sleep.

* * *

It was early the next morning that my parents came to visit me; I was still a little delirious from all the medication that I almost didn't recognize them. The pair were known for being stoic majority of the time so it surprised me to see them cry so much. Despite it only being apparently five years I was asleep, my parents looked like they had aged at least 10; which was probably my fault, now that I think about it. Over the few hours that we spent together, I quickly began to recall minor details about my life. I was a very talented artist, I even received a scholarship to a prestigious art school in America if I kept my grades up through high school. I really liked video games, cherries and apparently the color green, according to the clothes they brought from home. I was 22 now and I apparently didn't have very many friends except the ones I had embarked on the trip to Egypt with. Who were they again?

"You really don't remember the trip to Egypt? And to think you would've made so many wonderful memories," my mother said, her soft hand still practically glued to mine at this point. "Well except this one, anyway."

"Did I... Take pictures?" I asked almost reluctantly, fearing that I would probably have no recollection of them anyway. My mother smiled and quickly reached into her purse, pulling out a small Polaroid picture. Weakly I reached for it and brought it before my tired eyes. I noticed that I was standing in the middle between two much taller men, the man on the right looking to be of Middle Eastern descent. I couldn't quite put a name to his face. The older gentleman kneeling in front, I immediately pointed out as "Joestar". Specifically Joseph Joestar. The small dog on his lap also looked familiar, what was it? Twiggy? Rigby? I'm sure it wasn't that important... And the man grabbing at Joseph's face I recognized as someone named "Eiffel", I couldn't remember if that was his first or last name... Wait, no, that isn't right. He was French, I remember, but it wasn't something so silly. I decided to think on that one a bit.

When my eyes jumped over to the last remaining man in the photo, my heart started racing. I traced his every feature, my hands beginning to shake a little. What was it about this guy? He looked to be a student at the time like I was, judging by his clothing. He looked incredibly intimidating, yet handsome. Were we just good friends? It had to be something more...

A knock at the door tore me from my concentration, as my doctor and a young nurse entered the room. I didn't recall his name, so I simply nodded when he acknowledged me.

"I see you're beginning to recover a few of those memories. That is very good, yes, please exercise your mind as much as you can." He made his way to sit on the edge of my bed, a large packet of notes in hand. The doctor then proceeded to explain the extent of my injuries, probably again as he seemed to only be speaking with me as he droned. I didn't understand a lot of what he was telling me but nodded anyway. The majority of my injuries had been treated through means of total replacement of certain organs. He also said something about scarring that wouldn't disappear.

Apparently from the surgeries I had to endure in order to fix my abdomen, they were forced to put me into a medically induced coma. But because I had underlying brain damage that was left undetected, I was expected not to wake up. In fact, I wasn't even supposed to be able to move at all, much less remember how to talk or recall names or places. Apparently I had been regarded a hero for whatever went on in Egypt at the time and all of my expenses would be payed in full until I was better and then some.

"Now then, to talk about where your future lies. You will need extensive physical therapy in order to regain your motor function, not to mention the speech therapy to learn how to articulate again. In fact you may also need..."

Too much talking. It was starting to make my head hurt again. I just couldn't give my full attention, my mind kept floating back to the tall teenager with the strange hat. Something about him made my heart stir with warmth. It almost felt like I was in love with him or something. I couldn't remember what kind of sexual orientation I possessed, but that could very well be it. I just had to speak to him, I had to get rid of this agitated feeling.

"...How soon?" I didn't realize I had interrupted the doctor until my parents both shot a dirty look my way. "Sorry."

He didn't seem to be too phased with my sudden interjection and instead laughed it off. "Today, if you're up for it. Let your lunch digest, I will be back in an hour with the forms. Please relax until then."

I let a sigh of relief out from between my lips once he left the room, directing my attention back to the photograph.

"C-Contact?" I stuttered, pointing to the picture and showing my parents, I couldn't find the right way of saying it so I hoped that my feeble attempt at communication was enough.

"Yes, arranging a meeting for all of you might give you some insight into what happened. We won't let you down, Noriaki. Please do what the doctor says and rest. We can be here bright and early tomorrow morning if you wanted."

"Yes," was all I could muster as I felt the warmth draw away from my hand as the small room once again grew quiet and stagnant. I gazed back to the picture and focused as hard as I could on the dark haired teen. Desperately pleading with my fragile mind to remember who this was and what in the world I could do to contact him. I didn't understand myself why I was so desperate, but I just had to know.

 _'Jotaro...'_

* * *

"Jotaro, honey, someone on the phone is asking for you."

The man in question let out a loud groan, startling the napping infant he currently had nestled in his arms. "What is it?"

"Something about an old friend?"

"Fuck, didn't I tell him I'm busy with the new baby? Tell him I'll call back," Jotaro grumbled, rocking the small baby in his arms in a feeble attempt to stop the onslaught of whimpers threatening to spill from her tiny mouth.

"...If you say so," his wife responded, promptly hanging up the phone and walking back into the kitchen where she was fixing up a nice dinner for little Jolyne.

This wasn't exactly the ideal life Jotaro had had in mind when he thought about his future. Especially the part where he was changing diapers and cleaning up vomit stains at the ripe age of 22. He really never considered having a family much, didn't see the need to have even more annoying members bothering him at all hours of the day. He got enough of that from his grandfather and his mother. Although for a short period of time in his late teens he did get a taste of what life he had always wanted. Unfortunately a great number of details from that point in time had been meticulously repressed for the sake of retaining his sanity. In that short time in Egypt, he though he had met the love of his life, only to have that ripped apart from him in a matter of seconds. The fact that it still affected him to this day said a lot about just how much his heart was capable of.

"Awww, my sweet princess, I'm sorry I kept you waiting so long, time to leave daddy alone to his papers and get you a nice, yummy dinner~" Jotaro's wife cooed, taking baby Jolyne from his arms and setting her up in her high chair in the kitchen.

But even without _him_ , he still managed to fall in love again with not one, but two wonderful people. A small smile found itself tugging on his lips as he sighed and rose to his feet.

' _Might as well figure out what that phone call was about_ ,' he thought to himself as he wandered to the telephone, begrudgingly calling back the last number and waited for the drone of the ring back tone.

"Yes, hello? Thank you so much for calling me back."

Jotaro was surprised when he didn't recognize the woman's voice on the phone, beginning to feel a little uneasy. "Who is this? What do you need?"

"Ah, yes, this is Noriko Kakyoin, Noriaki's mother." Jotaro nearly dropped the phone. "I wanted to call and let you know that he's actually awake and wants to meet with you... Are you available any time soon?"

Jotaro felt sick to his stomach as he gripped to the phone with his now sweaty hand. This had to be some kind of sick joke fate had played on him. Not now. This couldn't be happening.

"Hello?"

"Uh... You have the wrong number," was all he could muster through gritted teeth before he slammed down the ear piece onto it's receiver a lot harder than need be. This caught the attention of both his wife and daughter who both stopped what they were doing to stare at the now scowling man.

"What happened?" She asked meekly, her brows knitted in concern.

"Nothing."

"It couldn't have been nothing the way you reacted just now. Are you hiding something from m-"

"I said it was nothing you nosy bitch," Jotaro snapped, not realizing the words that were falling from his lips. When he did, it only pissed him off even more. Without speaking again, he turned on his heels and trudged back to his study, fists crammed into his pockets.

He was finally happy again. He was finally over all of this hurt and agony, only to have it be thrown back in his face again.

 _'Not now... Just not now...'_


	2. Chapter 2

It took nearly 6 weeks to be able to maintain balance on my own two feet. With a walker, that is. The first few months of my recovery were said to be the most difficult of all as I essentially had to learn how to walk again after so many of my muscles had become lax. I didn't enjoy having so much done for me as I was unable to maintain proper hygiene and daily activities without assistance.

Not to mention all the changes my physique went through from being immobile for such a lengthy period. My normally muscular upper body had since been drained of muscle mass, leaving me very thin, lanky, and awkward, reminding me of my middle school days. Despite having already healed, the large circular scar on my abdomen was still a little sore and odd to the touch. Running my bony fingers along the outer lining of the reddish pigment made me realize just how different it felt compared to normal flesh.

For the most part, my wavy red locks stayed the same thanks to occasional haircuts that were provided by the hospital. Nothing a little hair gel couldn't fix up. The thin scars cutting through my eyelids hadn't changed much, I was hoping they would at least lighten a little so I wouldn't feel so self-conscious. What bothered me the most, though, was that the holes where I had pierced my ears had closed up. Without wearing my signature earrings I ended up feeling a little naked.

Speech therapy, on the other hand, was going well; little by little I was recalling my native tongue as well as bits of other languages I also knew. I was thankful to have so much going on to hold me over as my friends from the trip to Egypt weren't able to fly out right away. It was a seemingly endless wait, having so many questions on my mind, but I found ways to cope. With all the free time I had, I settled on starting to learn how to draw again. Admittedly, I developed a slight habit of doodling little Jotaro faces in the corners of my pages, but for the most part it was easy to pick back up on.

When the aforementioned day finally arrived, I immediately felt my nerves creeping up. Would Jotaro remember me? What would he say? But much to my disappointment, only two of the four men I had identified on the photograph were able to make it. The Frenchman and Joseph Joestar. Not Jotaro. This immediately brought me relief at the same time, but I couldn't stop wondering where he was. Simply seeing their smiling faces when they walked into my hospital room was enough to put my mind at ease and even bring a few memories pouring back. The younger of the two men was the first to stick his hand out and give mine a strong squeeze.

"It's just unbelievable. We both nearly had a heart attack when we got the news. To be honest I'd have thought that they'd have pulled the plug on you by now!" He exclaimed, giving a lighthearted chuckle as he made himself comfortable on the side of my small bed. He then points an inquiring finger to his chest.

"Do you remember me?"

I simply responded with a sheepish grin, not wanting to admit the fact that all I could remember is that he was French.

"Ce n'est pas grave, it's perfectly okay considering what you've been through," he says knowingly as he rests his large hand on my shoulder and gives me his usual goofy smile.

"It's Polnareff, Jean Pierre Polnareff. And that's Joseph Joestar, or Mr. Joestar as we know him better." Polnareff points to the older gentleman sitting in the chair not far from them.

"Where are the others in the picture?" I ponder in a low voice, watching the cheerfulness on the Frenchman's features melt away, replaced instead with melancholy.

"They... Didn't make it. Even little Iggy... Oh, except for Jotaro, this guy right here," he reaches to tap on the face of the man to my left in the photograph. "His wife just gave birth so he's been real busy. Real grumpy, too. You guys were so close though, wouldn't have killed him to take a little time off to come see you."

 _'Wife.'_

Nauseated as I was to hear this, I had to toss my personal feelings aside in order to fill the gaps in my already fragmented memory. Feeling awkward, I change the topic of conversation.

"No one ever filled me in on what happened in Egypt. They all called it a tragic accident but... What kind of accident? What could've done something to kill so many people?" I asked hastily, violet eyes shifting from Polnareff to Mr. Joestar when his face began to light up.

"Ah, the Speedwagon Foundation must not have let anyone in this facility know. Now, bear with me, this might sound a little insane but I promise you it's all the truth," Joseph started, clearing his throat.

His story began by explaining the entity known as a "stand", releasing his own purple vines to wrap around his lower arm. The idea resonated with me as I recalled my own stand, which I had used to assist me in various activities upon waking without a second thought. All those strange looks made sense now. Joseph then went on to explain a man named Dio and his plot to kill Jotaro's mother, Holy.

Apparently I had even been manipulated by the man into doing his bidding but with Jotaro's help, I was able to join them on their trip to Egypt to kill Dio and save Holy's life. We encountered plenty of set-backs thanks to enemy stand users but pushed through and succeeded in our mission. Unfortunately, we lost a few of our own in the process. He reminded me that I was actually the one that had figured out Dio's stand's ability and was a large portion of the reason we won in the first place.

Majority of what Mr. Joestar spoke of struck a cord with me, even if I didn't completely recall the events he spoke of, there was that inkling there that allowed me to believe in him. My chest felt tight as I readied my next question, immediately becoming anxious.

"I know this is kind of a weird question to ask but... About Jotaro. Were we close? When I look at this picture, I-I..." Before I could finish my sentence, I realized I had tears in my eyes. Why was I crying so suddenly? It was as if my heart understood something my head didn't. Polnareff gave my shoulder another firm squeeze and let out a quiet sigh, meeting my hazy eyes.

"Yeah. I know this'll be news to you, Mr. Joestar, but yes, you two were," the Frenchman revealed giving me an all-knowing smile. "You were... in love."

 _Were._ That word felt so one-sided at this point.

"I wasn't supposed to say anything, but I guess now it's okay to break a promise, right? Je suis désolé, my friend. He never forgot about you. Dammit, he should be here right now..."

Something in Joseph's expression changed as he whispered a soft "oh my god" and rose to his feet, reaching into his pocket to pull out a clunky Nokia cell phone. He clumsily stumbled his way out of the white room, shouting an array of colorful language down the hall. I instantly felt secondhand embarrassment as I was the indirect cause of that scene but Polnareff's presence kept me from worrying myself into another headache.

"I'd go after him but there's really no stopping him when he's upset," he chuckled. "The fact that Jotaro didn't show up means he's probably still getting over it himself. He'll come around, don't worry."

As soothing as those words were, the facts remained unchanged. Jotaro _had_ moved on, he was married with a child now. Everything that we had was no longer viable. Maybe it would be for the best if we never spoke again? Of all the hurdles I was jumping through in order to gain my mobility and mental strength back, forgetting my feelings for Jotaro would definitely be the hardest.

"Joseph, calm down, I have no idea what you're talking about. Kakyoin? Jotaro's never spoken a word about any of that."

 _That name again_. It made Jotaro stop dead in his tracks, chest feeling heavy all of a sudden. Why the hell was his grandfather sticking his nose where it doesn't belong again? Jotaro swiftly grabs the phone from his wife's hand and presses his ear into it.

"What?"

"Oh my god Jotaro, you know what's what! Why didn't you ever tell me about you two? Why aren't you there now? At the least you were friends and close ones at that," Mr. Joestar spat, his anger rising. "I know you just had a kid but miracles like this don't happen every day. You're acting like such an asshole. The least you can do is come see him."

"I don't want to."

"Why _not_?!"

"..."

Joseph heaved a heavy sigh. There was no use arguing at this point. Jotaro had already made up his mind.

"Look. Just promise me you'll think about it. Just talk to him-"

Wordlessly, Jotaro hung the phone up and met eyes with his now very baffled wife. Arms crossed and brows knitted, he knew he didn't have a chance. No matter how much he didn't want to talk about it, he knew she wouldn't let up.

"It was an old friend I had in high school," Jotaro announced, taking a seat on the spacious living room couch. "We were close. He got into an accident and was never supposed to wake up."

She hummed, raising one delicate brow ushering him to continue on. "And?"

"He was... The first person I was ever in a relationship with."

"That gives you all the more reason to go and see him then, right?" She pointed out, making herself comfortable on the seat next to her husband. "He was one of your only friends in high school. He's probably really lonely and confused right now, with having missed so much. He really needs someone he knows right now. You should go."

Jotaro hated that sweet little twinkle she would get in her eyes that made him go along with her every whim. Placing a hand on top of hers, he nodded, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I'll take care of Jojo tomorrow, it's not like you've been alone in all this. Take tomorrow off. Please?" She asked sweetly, placing a delicate kiss on his cheek.

"Fine." He really only agreed to see that charming smile find it's way onto her lips again.


End file.
